Elocon and Pregnancy

Animal studies have shown that, when used during pregnancy, steroids like Elocon (mometasone) may increase the risk for birth defects, poor fetal growth, and reduced survival rates. It is unknown if these problems would occur in humans, but it is probably best to avoid using this medicine over a large area for extended periods of time while pregnant.

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Can Pregnant Women Use Elocon?

Elocon® (mometasone furoate) is a prescription topical steroid approved for treating itching and inflammation due to a wide variety of skin conditions. Based on information currently available, it is unclear if the drug is safe for use during pregnancy. As with most medications, it should be used only if necessary, at the lowest effective dose, and for the shortest possible time during pregnancy.

What Is Pregnancy Category C?

Elocon is classified as a pregnancy Category C drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been adequately studied in pregnant humans but have caused fetal harm in animal studies.

In addition, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a pregnancy Category C rating.

Animal studies have shown that steroids, including Elocon, may increase the risk for birth defects (such as cleft palate) and may cause other problems (such as poor fetal growth) or decreased survival. Similar problems might also occur in humans, although the risk is probably smaller for topical steroids that are applied to the skin (like Elocon).

While short-term use (a few days) of Elocon applied to a small area of the body is probably not likely to cause problems, extended use or use over a large area of the body should probably be avoided during pregnancy.

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